Fragile

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Nik's girlfriend, Alex was lying on the hospital bed, injured, unconscious and not waking up. Nik held back the tears that came to his eyes. Tears he didn't thought would appear so easily for a tough man like him. He watched her for a long time and then kissed her forehead.
"Don't worry rook. Everything will be alright, I swear. Just don't leave me. Wake up, I'm here. Your Nik is here with you and never left your side.", his voice trembled as he wispered.
"I... I think... I love you... I never thought that I would ever fall in love so deeply for you. Never imagined the thing I would fear the most would be losing you. Hell, I can lose everything but not you. But oh, not you. Please, wake up."
He sat quietly by the bedside holding her hands, couldn't help but keep talking to her even when she was unconscious.
"What I would give to hear your voice again...", he stroked her silvery-black hair, remembering their happy moments, their first meeting, their first kiss. Wiping away the tears that keep coming to his silvery-gray eyes, he thought he should have protected her better. He failed. Not ready to lose her like he once lost his birthparents and Elijah. He failed again. He couldn't protect her from the bloodwraith which attacked his girlfriend. Now she's fighting between life and death. Struggling.
"That Thomas bastard... Damn Lady Fate who couldn't fight that bastard before all this happened before. Powerful Fate? The hell with that... Thomas's gone now, but at what cost...?", he muttered as his eyes burned with anger and revenge.
Even though Thomas and his bloodwraith who tried to kill Alex and all the supernatural elite, were finally defeated at the Mardi Gras event by Alex's mysterious powers. But before its defeat, the bloodwraith just had to attack her. Its claws sank into her body, making her lose so much blood that the wraith itself ended up bloody. She lost so much blood, but it was somehow a miracle that his girlfriend was still with him. For now...
After a moment later, a doctor entered the room to check Alex's status and vitals. For his luck, the doctor was a fae, disgised from the human sight through the glamour spell. He wouldn't question much about the happenings and already knew that this was the work of a supernatural beeing. The bloodwraith, a killing machine. And since Alex was partly fae, he would understand her better than the rest of the doctors. Nik got up from the chair where he was sitting and approached to the doctor.
"How is she?"
The doctor turned his attention to him and appeared a little worried.
"I'm afraid her situation is rather delicate, she's still unconscious. She's in a coma, her condition is serious but stable. She's been intubated and connected to many machines that keep her alive. I can't give you a date when she would wake up... it could be tomorrow or it could be in several days... I'm absolutly sorry, sir."
Nik was visibly shaken.
"And she will survive this right? Right?!!"
"The truth is... I can't know for sure. We just hope she'll pull through without any further complications.", the fae doctor informed without meeting his eyes. He paused before he continued. "We need to run some tests to know more."
Nik's body suddenly trembled slightly and his fists tightened into a ball. Taking a deep breath, he tried to remain calm.
"But in the meantime there must be something you can do for her right?"
The doctor felt sorry, looked at her condition on the monitors and then adjusted some of them.
"She's a half-fae, right? She appears to be stable, for now. The most important thing we could do for her is allow for her body to rest. And we will perform several tests so please if you want, you can be with her during the tests."

The young nighthunter nodded, watched his girlfriend. Her long hair so beautiful, her face full of peace even when unconscious, she seemed so still, so fragile. She was now his Sleeping Beauty, waiting for her to finally wake up because he couldn't bear thinking of the worst. He gripped her hand tightly, feeling her warmth and how her skin was soft as silk and whispered to her. For him, she looked like an angel on earth. Peaceful.
"Please wake up rook, don't leave me alone..."
The doctor left the room to give him some privacy. Nik kissed her on the forehead and held onto her hand. His face is completely devastated and broken. Every fiber of his being was being torn away by this pain. Tears kept flowing down his face, his heart felt like it was about to explode and shatter in many tiny pieces. His thoughts were so chaotic and filled with dread. He blaimed himself for everything. If only he could have protected her better. If only his last memory with her was a happy one. If only he made sure that Thomas and his bloodwraith were really really dead and defeated. The young man felt so powerless in this situation. He wanted to do something for her. His helplessness was torturing him, but there was nothing he could do right now. He could only wait. Nik's head whirled, his hands trembled and all that he could do was to keep holding on to this only connection he had left with his beloved.
Weeks have passed and Nik Ryder was still sitting next to his girlfriend's bed. He hasn't left the hospital room since the deadly bloodwraith tried to kill her. He looked exhausted and his eyes weee red as if he had't slept in days. He has barely eaten anything and just couldn't let her alone. The doctor and the nurses have tried to urge him to leave the hospital for a while, but he refused. Every time they suggested him to go rest at home, he shook his head, because he was afraid that the second he left her, she would slip away to leave him forever. A tear ran down his cheek as he saw her lying motionless, so pale and so fragile on the bed. She looked like a small and innocent child. Alex has lost so much blood, but he was grateful at least that she was still here with him. But the fact that she was so vulnerable and helpless... Just seeing her like that cutted him with a knife to his soul. He couldn't imagine what he would do if something worse happened to her. He held her hands again, couldn't help but be overwhelmed with fear.
"I'm here love. I'm not gonna to leave you. I swear.", he felt his own heartbeat as he wispered to her.
XXX
Again, weeks have passed and Nik was still sitting at her side. Every single day, holding her hand. He has barely eaten anything in all this time, now looked very pale and tired. His eyes got even more red and swollen from all the tears and exhaustion. He never left her, not a single moment. Every second he spent besides her bed because his only concern was her. If only she knew that too. He watched her with the same devotion as if they had just met and he had fallen in love. She's so peaceful in sleep, she looked so cute to him with her delicate face, her hair still so soft and shiny. But he only wanted her to wake up. If there's a god in this world then please let her wake up, he thought. Please. He would even die for her.
"It's me, darling. I'm here. Come back to me. Please.", he whispered as he stroked her silver strands and gently kissed her forehead.
"Wake up love....Wake up.... Rook... Alex, my love...You are everything to me and I need you. Wake up, please...".
He stared at her, not taking his eyes off of her, looking at her face with a mixture of love, affection and fear. The silence in the room killed him and was only interrupted by the faint noise of the machines that tried to keep her alive.
XXX
Hours later. Nik was still next to her, holding her hands, caressing her hair, watching how she was in this state of deep sleep. His Sleeping Beauty. He hasn't left her side for a second and for all this time, he has barely eaten anything in the last week. Still devastated and exhausted, everything he was going through was overwhelming him. Nik Ryder was broken. His face was covered with wrinkles, his silvery-gray eyes looked even more lifeless and swollen. He looked very pale and even a light beard began to grow. All his fears overcame him and the doctor did not give him any hope. His heart was in agony. He leaned over her and looked at her face again. So peaceful and pure with closed eyes as if she was a sleeping angel. He caressed her soft hair with devotion, his eyes were full of pain and fear. He spoke to her in a hoarse voice.
"Please wake up love. I need you...I need you so much."
"Nik, I..."
Nik sensed words coming out of her mouth and froze. Did she just say her name or was he imagining this? Did his brain started to play tricks in him since he hadn't slept for days. But then he heard her again and a spark of hope was ignited in his heart. He leaned over her and watcheed her lips carefully, waiting to hear her again. His hand trembled a little bit and his heart raced in his chest. Beating fast. The man took a deep breath in anticipation for the next word she will speak. He whispered to her with excitement and hope.
"Yeah? You wanna say something love?" He was watching her lips intently to try and discern what she is trying to say and he was desperate to know if she was alright and that it's all just a bad dream.
Alex opened her eyes weakly and was struggling to open her mouth. She couldn't speak. The machines attached to her were beeping louder which made Nik immediately rush outside to call the doctors and nurses. They quickly followed him back inside the room where Alex was lying. The doctor came over to help her raise her head a little. Nik watched her lips and managed to capture the last word "you". What was she trying to tell him? He kept trying to listen to what came next, as she kept struggling to move her lips to try it again. It really looked like she wanted to say something. She managed to mumble a couple more words, but Nik couldn't understand what she was trying to say. He leaned down very close to her to listen to her words. She kept repeating the same words which sounded like "you and me". The rest he couldn't understand the rest and requested her to stay silent and not lose any energy. Nik watched as the doctor and nurses worked on giving her medication. Nik got relieved that she's showing signs of improvement now.
But she's still confused and disorientated. There were a lot of machines and tubes around her. She tried to speak again. Her voice is even more hoarse but this time she managed to murmur a few more words. This time she tries to say "I'm scared, what's happening?" She seemed desperate to get up, not understanding why she couldn't move and why her body was still so weak. The nurses and the doctors kept checking her, giving her medicine and trying to soothe her. Nik whispered to her with empathy.
"My rook. What do you want to say?"
"Nik? Is that you?"
Nik smiled immediately at the mention of his name. He caressed her cheek with affection while feeling a lot of relief. His heart is pounded fast, it's her! She's finally starting to regain consciousness!!
"Yeah It's me, I'm here love.... ", he wispered with a warm voice and smiled. He caressed her cheek and hair with more tenderness. He wanted to hold her but he was too afraid to move her since her body was still so fragile and weakened. At least, he was very happy to hear her sweet voice again.
"Yeah rook, it's me. You're alive."
"Nik...", she got emotional and began to cry. He softly wiped away her tears and stroked her rosy cheek.
"Hey, calm down. Just relax, you're safe here." He wanted her to feel safe and loved. Almost holding his breath, he also had tears in his eyes, felt very touched and so much love for her. "Where am I? What happened?", she asked and he noticed her confusion.
He held her close to him and he wiped away her tears.
"You're safe now. We're in a hospital. Everything will be alright, don't worry."
"Nik, don't leave me alone here."
"I won't leave you alone, I swear. I've been here with you every day since this happened.", he sighed with sadness and held her hand tightly without taking his eyes off her. Nik wanted to experience every second she was awake to be able to comfort and support her. She's everything for him. There was silence between them while the doctors and nurses were working in this room and all Nik wanted to do is stay by her side. Then he noticed that she silently kept looking at him. Her face suddenly washed with sadness as if she just remembered something very important. Her break-up with Nik.
"Rook, try to rest, your body has gone through a lot. Let me stay here with you, I won't leave your side.", he promised, not beeing aware what she's currently thinking. A few seconds later Nik watched her as she silently fell back asleep. Her body was so exhausted from what it's been through and she couldn't withstand being awake for a long time. Nik felt like a part of his soul was slowly being taken away with every moment he saw her in bed with the machines keeping her alive. He was still so worried and afraid. His whole body shook with fear and desperation. Taking a deep breath, he continued looking after her. Stroking her hair gently, holding her hand to never let go, he stayed there with her in silence. Only the sound of the machines that kept her alive fill the room.

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